Increasing demand for high-performance integrated circuit (“IC”) design may prompt an increase in the number of input/output (“I/O”) connections (i.e., bond pads) for a defined die size. An increased number of I/O connections currently may be accommodated with one of at least two commonly-known techniques. In a first technique, multiple rows of I/O connections are staggered in which the bond pads from one row are offset relative to bond pads from another row. Staggered designs generally require an increase in die size, and thus a staggered design presents an undesirable increase in production costs. Furthermore, additional bond fingers may be necessary to accommodate additional power and ground connections to maintain IC functionality, thereby further increasing manufacturing costs.
A second technique of increasing the number of I/O connections comprises reducing bond pad size, thereby allowing a greater number of bond pads to be formed on the die. However, decreased bond pad size necessitates a wirebond wire of reduced diameter (i.e., cross-sectional area of the wire). Decreasing wire diameter presents multiple disadvantages. One disadvantage is an increase in resistance and inductance in the wire and thus a decrease in IC performance quality. Another disadvantage is introduced by a wire “sweeping” (i.e., moving out of place) effect during a common molding process. To counteract wire sweeping, wire length must be reduced, thereby increasing complexity of manufacture. A third disadvantage may arise in dies with a staggered design and reduced bond pad size. Due to a dense bond pad pitch, bond wires may be placed closely together, thereby increasing the risk of crossing multiple wires.
A decrease in wire diameter, which increases wire inductance, may present several additional disadvantages. For example, an increased wire inductance may necessitate an increase in the number of power and ground connections needed for the IC to properly function. In turn, an increase in the number of power and ground connections may limit the amount of die space available for I/O connections. To maintain high performance levels, I/O connections may be dropped to the substrate, thereby reducing available substrate routing area.